I've got a shite bike too

[caprighia]

Recently acquired a shite Kawa Z400 to complement the Saab & 416.

A mate bought it unseen off the Bay, stood it in his yard for a few months then declared he had lost interest and I could have it for nowt if I could van it away - I could and did.

Needs fair bit of TLC which is ideal cos it keeps me in the garage and away from the mrs and the crap she watches on tv (and talks)

So this is how it looked when I got it home...looks better on a photo!!

Any other bikeshiters on here ?

[AXrescuer]

Very nice project you have there!I still have an old air cooled RD250 that I swear I'll do up one day!

[Hutch]

The Z400 was universaly hated by the motorcycle press when it was launched in the 70's as I remember. Rather unfairly IMO - I rode one in 1980 and it seemd OK. A bit underpowered with 'vague' handling but OK none the less.You have chosen well.

[simmo]

I picked up a 1955 Bantam as a freebie a while back which is still lurking in the shed, anyone got a decent pair of wheels?

[Torsten2001]

I've got one of them! Yes it's shite but I've had it for years and love it! You did well!

[simmo]

I've got one of them! Yes it's shite but I've had it for years and love it! You did well!

Bantam? What model / year?, this one was original but tired, its been resprayed but need finishing off.

[ashmicro]

Had a Z400 myself, 1979 in dark brown and gold. I actually was given it for nothing as it was completely dismantled and in tea chests. Twas a nice thing to ride, loadza torque. I eventually traded it in against a 1988 Suzuki GSX-R 750 (which I still have)Nice one mate. These are pretty easy to work on. If I can find my HBOL for it you can have it. (Gawd knows where it is, mind!)

[Guest]

Heres mine,the ultimate in two wheeled jap shite

[mcqueenmachine]

Surely the ultimate in Jap two-wheeled 'Shite would be the Turbo incarnation of the despatcher's friend, Honda's CX500 - unfairly derided as 'the maggot' .Or what about the Hondamatic? Or the Yamaha GTS1000 with hub-centre steering. There's one on EvilBay right now. The deluded fool wants the thick end of five grand for the thing!

[155V6]

What about the GPz 305 with belt drive?

[wuvvum]

I had a late Z250 Scorpion with belt drive - not a bad machine at all. I've also had two CB400A Hondamatics, which were fugging useless and got left for dead by any modern derestricted 125cc scooter. Other bike shite I've owned includes a 1976 MZ TS250, 1982 Suzuki GS450 rat bike, Yamaha Salient, Honda NF75, Vespa PK100, Yamaha V90, a couple of Mobylettes and my current pair of Honda scooters - NH80 Vision and CH125 Spacy. Mate of mine had a superb one-owner Z400 last year - I rode it and really liked it. Not the most powerful machine in the world but it had plenty of torque and the handling didn't seem too bad to me, apart from the crap OE front tyre. Almost bought it off him, but then a GPZ500S came up cheap and I bought that instead.

[garethj]

Or the Yamaha GTS1000 with hub-centre steering. There's one on EvilBay right now. The deluded fool wants the thick end of five grand for the thing!

I quite like the idea of Hub Centre Steering, trying to remove the steering from the suspension. Basically most motorbikes now are still using the Morgan sliding pillar suspension from 1920....I also have a soft spot for Feet-Forward bikes

[lovejoy]

anyone know anything about HondaVmatic NF 75's ?I guess it was their first "twist'n'go" scooter - pretty obscure but I have one running, and one not !

[wuvvum]

anyone know anything about HondaVmatic NF 75's ?I guess it was their first "twist'n'go" scooter - pretty obscure but I have one running, and one not !

I had one last year - used it to buzz into work on when I was still living in Norwich. I think they share a lot of mechanical bits with the later Lead 80 scooter. Mine wasn't particularly quick - 37mph flat out - but I think it needed some attention, which I could never be arsed to give it. Still used to pass the 16-year-olds on their 50s pulling up the long hill on the way home - couldn't leave them on the flat though.

[Torsten2001]

...and Ronnie Corbett had one in Sorry!

[lovejoy]

Aha !! I did notice Wuvvum that you mentioned one in your list after re-reading your post; what happened to it ? What colour was it ? ( 37mph sound about right, but gets off the line well).I have a red one, but it's really a washed out yellow on which I put red panels from another one, plus a blue one, which only idles, won't rev.It stays locked up for 9 months thru the winter, and always starts after a few kicks, very reliable and ideal for pottering about in the congested summer traffic.I understand they were available in orange and green, and someone said they were used in Pontin's holiday camps. Pretty hard to find parts for though, I will look into the Honda Lead situation later on, cheers.(ps. IF i could figure out how to post a pic, I would, but am working on that too ! Is "photobucket" the easiest way ?)